Wrench.



WITNESSES P. W. OSBORN.

WRENCH.

APPLIOATION rum) MAR.21,1914.

Patented July 28, 1914 IN V EN TOR A ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT BEIGE.

PEARL W." OSBORN, F LOVELAND, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 BENTON I4.

' BONNELL, OF LOVELAND, COLORADO.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented July 28, 1914.

Application filed March 21, 1914. Serial No. 826,376.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PEARL WV. OSBORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Loveland, in the county of Larimer and State of Colorado, have invented certain new tofore constructed, and especially to that type, wherein a wheel or lever is employed to adjust the jaws, is that they cannot always be used satisfactorily in restricted spaces, and the wheel or lever often strikes against an obstruction, causing the wheel or lever to move and release the jaws from the work. On the other hand, the jaws become so firmly locked in some cases,that in restricted or close spaces it is difiicult to operate the wheel or lever to release the jaws from the work. These conditions particularly prevail where the working parts of the wrench are rusty or clogged, or in cold weather when the fingers of the operator are more or less numb.

The primary object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a wrench that is durable and simple in construction and operation, inexpensive to manufacture, ellicient in action, and the parts of which can readily be dis-assembled and re-assembled, and any broken or worn parts replaced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrench that is substantially of uniform size from the head of the wrench to the handle, and which has no projecting levers or other parts, the adjustment elements being incased or substantially self contained, so that the wrench may be satisfactorily used in restricted or close places.

A further object is to provide a wrench, the jaws of which may be operated directly into engagement with the work by a quick action and without lost motion, saving considerable time, and providing a wrench that can be worked in close places where others may not be worked.

A still further object of the invention is that the spring controlling the pawls and the pivoted aw holds the latter up against the work, so that should the handle be released theuvrench will notfall from the work, avoidlng accldents and ln uries to workmen below.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.v

It will be obvious, however, that minor changes might be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, and

without sacrificing any of the vital principles thereof, and while the invention is not limited, therefore, to the exact details as shown and described, still for the purpose of a full disclosure reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical embodiment of the invention, in which drawings like characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1, is a view in elevation of the wrench in its operative position. Fig. 2, is an enlarged sectional view of the same, the handle being omitted. .Fig. 3, is a cross sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4-, is a cross sectional View on the line 4:4 of Fig. 2.

1 designates the shank of the wrench, which may have a tapering stem, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and provided with a threaded tip, on which is screwed a nut 2, the stem being incasedby the usual grip or handle member 3. On one edge face the shank is serrated, forming a series of ratchet teeth 4, and on the end of the shank there is carried a serrated jaw 5, shown in the drawings as comprising a fixed jaw relatively to the shank. On the shank 1, between the jaw 5 and the handle or grip 3, there is carried a support 6, which support and shank are slidingly mounted relatively to each other. This support 6 is in the form of a casing, having an open upper face 7, a hollow head 8, closed on its upper face by the top wall 9, and separated from a lower hollow guide member 10 by the transverse wall 11, the bottom of the guide member being closed by a narrow bottom wall 12, and the forward edge being shaped as at 13 to con-v I it" form to the rear edge face of the jaw 5, shown in the drawings as being beveled. The rear end of the casing is open on its lower face as at 1 1- and has a rear wall 15, slotted at 16, to allow of the passage of the shank therethrough.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 4, the inner faces of the side walls of the casingare vertically recessedas at 17 to receive and guide one or a plurality of pawl members, the easing being so constructed as to not only form a sliding support for, but also to provide a housing for the said pawl members and for 111116 pivoted end of the swinging jaw and spring members, interposed between said swinging jaw and pawl members, all as hereinafter referred to. 1

While in carrying out the invention generically, one pawl alone might be employed, still for the purpose of providing means for more closely adjusting the jaws, it is preferable to use a plurality of pawls, two of which are shown on the drawings, and they are of such a width that they overlap the ratchet teeth, so'that the pawls alternately or successively engage one of the toothed notches, thereby providing a closer adjustment of the jaws, somewhat after the fashion of the old form of screw threaded shank and rotary sleeve or wheel adjustment. Thesepawls are slidably mounted in the recessed portions 17 and preferably consist of rectangular frame members 18 and 19, straddlingthe shank 1, the upper portions each having a beveled tooth 18 and 19 and the lower portions 18 and 19 projecting below the shank 1 through the open space 14, whereby the pawls may be readily manipulated by theuser, to disengage the pawls successively or alternately or collectively fromthe ratchet teeth. The swinging jaw 20 is provided with a shank'or arm 21, pivotally mounted at .its inner end, within the hollow head'S, by a pivot pin 22, the lower edge face of the arm 21'norma1ly resting on the upper edge face of the jaw 5, which may be slightly recessed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, to form a seat if desired.

The heel or inner end 23 of the arm 21 is slightly spaced from the top 9 of the hollow head 8, and it is preferably curved, as shown in Fig. 2, to form a hearing or seat for one end of a springy or resilient element, interposed between said pivoted jaw shank and said pawl or pawls. The spring element may be in the form of a flat resilient strip of proper curvature, one end of which engages the upper edge surface of the arm 21 j forward of the pivot22, and the other end of which engages the top edge surface of the pawl member.

Where a plurality ofpawls are used, as illustrated in the drawings, and two are preferable, thespring elementis reversely :said shank and forming a casing;

gaging said swinging stantially as described;

curved, in the form of an ogee or S shaped curve, the short end or ends of which are disposed bet-ween the inside of thetop wall 9 of the hollow head and the heel 23 of the arm 21, engaging said arm forward of the pivot '22, while the long end of the spring element is in the form of laminated or spaced strips 25 and 26, the lower spring arm or strip 25, being slightly shorter than the upper one 26,'to seat respectively on top of the pawl members 18 and 19, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the top surfaces of these pawl members may be recessed to receive snugly the ends of the springs-as shown at 27 in Fig. v3 with reference to thepawl member 18.

- 28 is an internal stop, which instead of be ing formed integral with the bottom wall 11 of the hollow head, may as shown in the drawings be m the nature of a stud pin extending across the hollow head, forming an abutment for the heel 23, whereby inordinate strain on the pawls is avoided, the thrust being more or less directed between the forward portion of the housing and "the shank of the wrench. j

In view of the foregoing specificdesc'ription, it is not believed to beessen-tial nor 'desir'able to further describe the operation of the wrench, as the same is believed to be manifcst,-and it'is further obvious that the particular arrangemeut'oft'he parts enables the springs to perform the dual function of always holding the swinging movable jaw up against the work, and at the same time controlling the action o'f'the pawls.

' What I claim is 1. In a wrench, the combination of a'sha-nk provided with a'jaw and aseries of ratchet teeth; a hollow sliding support mountedon V a pawl member-straddling said shank and-slidingly contained within said casing adjacent said ratchet teeth; a swinging jaw pivotally mounted on said casing; and a spring element directly interposed between and enjaw "and pawl, sub

' 2. In a wrench, the combination ofa shank provided with a jaw and a series of ratchet teeth; a hollow sliding support 'mountedon said shank and forming a casing a. pawl comprising a rectangular shaped" frame member, surrounding said shank and slidingly housed within said casing, said pawl member havingan internal tooth at one end engaging said ratchetand at its other end projecting beyond said casing; a pivoted jaw mounted on said casing; 'anda springelement interposed between and operatively'engaging said pawl member andpivoted'jaw,

substantially as described.

In a wrench, the combination of ashank' provided with'a jaw and ia series of ratchet teeth; a hollow sliding support mountedxon said shank and 'forming'a casing having a r-r o hollow head; a pawl member straddling said shank and slidingly housed within said casing, said pawl member having an internal tooth at one end engaging said ratchet teeth and at its other end projecting beyond said casing; a second jaw having an arm pivotally mounted in said hollow head, and having its upper edge face slightly spaced from the top of said hollow head; and a spring element having one end disposed between the top of said hollow head and said pivoted jaw arm, and engaging the top edge face of the latter" exteriorly of its pivotal axis, the other end of said spring element operatively engaging said pawl member, substantially as described.

4. In a wrench, the combination of a shank provided with a jaw and a series of ratchet teeth; a hollow sliding support mounted on said shank and forming a rear casing, and a forward hollow head surmounting a hollow guide member encompassing said shank and having an upper and lower wall slidingly engaging the upper and lower edge faces of said shank; a pawl member straddling said shank and slidingly housed within said rear casing, said pawl member having an internal tooth at one end engaging said ratchet teeth and at its other end projecting beyond said casing; a swinging jaw having an arm pivotally mounted in said forward hollow head; and a spring element disposed between and operatively engaging said pivoted jaw arm and said pawl member, substantially as described.

5. In a wrench, the combination of a shank provided with ajaw and a series of ratchet teeth; a casing slidingly encompassing said shank; a pawl member carried by said sliding casing and having a tooth engaging said ratchet teeth; a swinging jaw having an arm pivotally mounted forward of said sliding casing; and a substantially ogee-shaped spring element interposed between and 0peratively engaging said swinging jaw arm and said pawl. member, substantially as described.

6. In a wrench, the combination of a shank provided with a jaw and a series of ratchet teeth; a casing slidingly encompassing said shank; a plurality of pawl members straddling said shank and arranged face to face within said casing, each of said pawl members having a tooth at one end alternately engaging said ratchet teeth in locking position in one direction of movement, and at their other ends projecting slightly outside of said casing to provide means for releasing said pawl teeth successively or collectively in the reverse direction of movement; a swinging jaw having an arm pivoted to said casing; and a spring element having one end operatively engaging said pivoted jaw arm, and at its other end having separated spring leaves each operatively engaging one pawl member, and the said pawl members and spring element being substantially self contained within said casing to avoid unnecessary projecting parts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

PEARL W. OSBORN.

Witnesses:

W. R. MITCHELL,

CLARENCE SHoLTY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

